Wednesday, 24 September 2014

Possibly the most
misunderstood and difficult techniques to master when rifle shooting,
be that stalking, foxing or vermin control is judging the wind
conditions. Reading the wind correctly is critical for placing your
bullet exactly where you aim it, especially when a humane shot is
desired.

Introduction

Possibly the most
misunderstood and difficult techniques to master when rifle shooting,
be that stalking, foxing or vermin control is judging the wind
conditions. Reading the wind correctly is critical for placing your
bullet exactly where you aim it, especially when a humane shot is
desired.

Wind conditions are never
the same even when shooting from the same position and can play havoc
when you need to connect with that hard stalked stag on the hill and
you are faced with a 15 mph quartering wind, judging the wind drift
is crucial for correct shot placement.

There are many good
ballistic programs that work out the wind for you but you still need
to know the bullets characteristics and velocity to apply the data
correctly and not least you still need to be a good shot to execute a
hit.

There are many ways to
judge wind conditions and I will run through a few and show how I use
them when out stalking or fox/vermin control to good use. There is no
easy method to learn wind corrections, you have to get out and
experience the winds characteristics out in the field. I have used
steel silhouettes of game for decades now as these give an audible
and visual indication of correct shot placement.

Wind, what is it

There are two important
elements to consider when trying to apply a wind drift calculation
when you are out shooting. Firstly the wind speed, which rarely stays
constant and secondly the direction of the wind, both will cause a
myriad of differing wind drift on your bullet in flight. The effects
of the wind are not linear as the effects of the wind are increased
as the range increases. It is therefore imperative to be able to
correctly determine the wind direction and the wind speed. The
trouble is that the wind rarely stays the same intensity or direction
along the bullets flight path and you will need to “dope” the
wind from visual signs as the bullet travels along.

This is where technology
can begin to help you. Range estimation is a crucial part of any
shooters skills but with the advent of laser rangefinders and even
laser finding scopes have meant more accurate shot placements can be
made so long as you can shoot straight in the first place!

More difficult is judging
wind direction and intensity. Intensity can be accurately measured
with the aid of a wind meter but this only gives the wind speed at
your position not down range where it is crucial.

You will learn these with
a good wind meter such as the Sky Mate I use. Choose a likely area
that you stalk regularly and take wind readings at each location
within that area , say valley bottom, hillside, beside some trees ,
prone or from a high seat. Keep a record of the wind speeds and how
the foliage is reacting where you are. This way you can build up a
mental image of how foliage reacts to wind speed and translate this
information to an unfamiliar shooting area.
Skymate wind meters from JMS Arms.

As a general rule wind
intensity can be categorised as follows:-

0-3 mph The wind is hardly
felt on a cheek but smoke or pollen drifts gently

This is only half the
battle now, you have to determine wind direction and then compute all
these factors into determining how far off zero your bullet will be
at any given range you take the shot.

Direction Finder

A wind speed variation is
far easier to feel than a direction change of the wind yet it is the
latter that is more likely to affect your bullets path so direction
finding is very important.

Use your eyes:- foliage
down range to the deer can tell you a lot about the winds eddies and
still spots but try to view only the foliage that is at the same
level as the deer and bullet flight as this is what is going to
affect your bullet. In other words tree tops bending will not affect
the bullet when at ground level only a breeze or light wind is
blowing. Again practice, in a regular area I tie small pieces of
surveyors tape to bushes, gates, posts, trailers! Just a small
indicator of a “real time” wind movement or direction.

The less time the bullet
spends in the air or flight the less time wind has a chance to act on
it, that is why velocity and a good Ballistic Coefficient (BC) are
important factors when choosing a bullet or cartridge.

Clock it

Use the clock system to
determine the affect the wind direction will have on your bullets
impact point.If you
think of yourself at the centre of a clock face and looking down onto
yourself the wind at extreme angle (90 degrees) to your rifles barrel
i.e. 3 or 9 o’clock will have the most wind force on your bullet.
But what happens at a lesser angle at 1, 5, 7 or 11 o`clock?

Here’s a simple rule:-
Anything from 3 to 9 is full wind value (100%)

2,4,8,10 is 60%

1,5,7,11 is 30%

Died in the wool long
range shooters will tell you there are a lot more subtle values at
1.30 o`clock etc but for this simple test just use the above, its
better than not compensating at all.

To keep it simple, here`s
what differing wind speeds and directions can do to three popular
cartridges, the .223, .243 and .308.

.223 40 grain V-Max
at 3825 fps and 1300 ft/lbs BC 0.275

10mph Wind

Muzzle

100yds

200yds

300yds

3 or 9 o`clock Full

0

1.15

4.8

11.0 inch

2, 4,8 or 10 o`clock 60%

0

0.7

1.0

5.8

1, 5, 7 or 11 o`clock 30%

0

0.35

1.4

3.3

.243 100 grain
Sierra Game King at 2850 fps and 1804 ft/lbs BC 0.423

10mph Wind

Muzzle

100yds

200yds

300yds

3 or 9 o`clock Full

0

0.8

3.1

7.0 inch

2, 4,8 or 10 o`clock 60%

0

0.5

1.9

4.2

1, 5, 7 or 11 o`clock 30%

0

0.2

0.9

2.1

.308 150 grain
Hornady SST at 2750 fps and 2520 ft/lbs BC 0.342

10mph Wind

Muzzle

100yds

200yds

300yds

3 or 9 o`clock Full

0

1.25

4.5

10.25

2, 4, 8 or 10 o`clock 60%

0

0.75

2.7

6.15

1, 5, 7 or 11 o`clock 30%

0

0.38

1.4

3.1

Conclusions

Those
that shoot and only correct for bullet drop will almost always be
caught out by the wind and wonder why the bullet struck left or
right. It’s your duty to learn your wind characteristics of your
cartridge to ensure a humane shot. We all get caught out, I have but
you learn from it and now if the wind is too intense you can either
that a well judged shot or just leave it and walk away.

QuickLOAD
and QuickTARGET ballistics program from JMS Arms is a
superb program not only for reloading but also determining accurate
down range ballistics, including wind drift that can be printed off
and stuck to your rifles stock.

Monday, 1 September 2014

The new Twenty calibres
such as the .204 Ruger and 20 Tactical are good illustrations that
even after all these years just by tweaking a few dimensions you can
still create something new. Remington offer the .17 Remington round a
favourite still of mine but now there is the newer .17 Fireball based
on a .221 Fireball case.

The parent .221 Fireball
case has a small overall length of 1.40 inches and case capacity of
just over 23 grains full. Its size and low recoil and noise make it
suitable for vermin control in Britain but range is limited to 250
yardish. This fact was not lost on a firm from Las Vegas called Vern
O’ Brien rifle company introduced a necked down version of the .221
Fireball case and this was called the .17 Mach IV in the mid sixties.

It’s taken some fifty
years for a firm like Remington to realise its true potential and
like so many wildcat calibres have legitimised it. To me though it
will always be Vern`s old 17 Mach IV round, sorry Remington.

Ballistically the 17
Fireball is efficient and 4000fps with a 20 grain V-Max bullet can be
achieved whilst the .17 Remington case can manage 4200 fps. At these
speeds the extra velocity is pretty academic really and the Fireballs
rationale is that there will be less barrel fouling, less
barrel/throat erosion, noise and recoil whilst using less powder
consumption.

I had two Fireball rifles
both Remington`s, an SPS and a Predator so testing would be
interesting and I still remember the days when I shot a .17 Mach IV
Contender carbine for hooded crows in Scotland.

Reload choice

I tested bullets from 20
grains up to 30 grains with both hollow point and polymer tip
varieties being the preferred choice.

Being a small case with a useable powder capacity when bullet`s seated of just 18-19 grains you
can instantly see just how efficient this case is to launch a 20
grain bullet at over 4000 fps! Rather like the .14 Walker Hornet,
that only takes 12.5 grains for a 15gr bullet at over 4000fps.

Powders of choice would be
on the faster burning side so powders such as IMR 4198, RL 7, RL10X,
H4227 or Vit N133 should work.

A special .17 calibre
powder funnel helps guide the powder smoothly into the case and I
used a precision Harrell powder dispenser that precisely delivers
exact powder throws time and again although some may want to weigh
each individual charge for accuracy.

Primer wise, I used as a
preference Federal Match small primers although CCI were also very
consistent.

No real attention to the
cases is needed before reloading other than the usual deburring of
the neck, cleaning of primer pocket and inside of neck area. Although
an internal flash hole deburring is beneficial to consistent ignition
and squaring the primer pocket is worth while also.

Bullet Choice

The 20 grain V-Max bullet
is perfectly matched to this calibre and remains probably the best
.17 bullet design to date in my view.

SPS data and
Predator data

Bullet

Weight

Reload data

SPS data

Predator data

Velocity fps

Energy ft/lbs

Velocity fps

Energy ft/lbs

Hornady V-Max

20gr

15.0gr of IMR 4198 powder

3673 fps

599 ft/lbs

n/a

15.5gr

3784 fps

636 ft/lbs

3733 fps

619 ft/lbs

16.0gr

3891fps

673 ft/lbs

3856 fps

661 ft/lbs

16.25gr

3952 fps

694 ft/lbs

3900 fps

676 ft/lbs

16.5gr

4003 fps

712 ft/lbs

3911 fps

680 ft/lbs

Hornady V-Max

20gr

14.5gr of Vit N133 powder

3455 fps

524 ft/lbs

n/a

15.0gr

3550 fps

560 ft/lbs

n/a

15.5gr

3666 fps

809 ft/lbs

n/a

16.0gr

3801 fps

642 ft/lbs

3879fps

668ft/lbs

Hornady V-Max

20gr

15.0gr of RL7

powder

3702 fps

609 ft/lbs

n/a

15.5gr

3836 fps

654 ft/lbs

n/a

16.0gr

3920 fps

683 ft/lbs

n/a

Hornady V-Max

20gr

15.0gr of H4227 powder

3953 fps

694 ft/lbs

3911 fps

680 ft/lbs

16.0gr

4044 fps

727 ft/lbs

3987 fps

706 ft/lbs

Hornady V-Max

20gr

17.0gr of Vit N120

4216 fps CAUTION HOT LOAD

790 ft/lbs

4107 fps CAUTION HOT LOAD

749ft/lbs

Berger

25gr

15.0gr of RL 10X

3620 fps

727 ft/lbs

n/a

15.5gr

3711 fps

765 ft/lbs

3644 fps

737 ft/lbs

16.0gr

3831 fps

815 ft/lbs

3786 fps

796 ft/lbs

16.5gr

3934 FPS

859 ft/lbs Hot load

3877 fps

835 ft/lbs

Hornady V-Max

25gr

15.0gr of IMR 4198 powder

3771 fps

790 ft/lbs

3724 fps

770ft/lbs

16.0gr

3896 fps

843 ft/lbs

3949 fps

866 ft/lbs

Berger

30gr

14.5gr of Vit N130 powder

3469 fps

801 ft/lbs

3488 fps

811 ft/lbs

15.0gr

3576 fps

852 ft/lbs

3591 fps

859 ft/lbs

15.25gr

3618 fps

872 ft/lbs

3648 fps

887 ft/lbs

Field use

Look at those results, you
would think that some were reversed with the longer 26 inch barrel
being the higher velocity producer but that 22 incher really
performed well, this just goes to show until you shoot a rifle its
own idiosyncrasies can only then be found. Tight barrel losses
chamber who knows but results are results.

SPS:-
The Remington SPS up first, I had on test was a Varmint model with 26
inch barrel. With factory 20grain bullet loads I had 4060fps
velocity and 732ft/lbs energy, I was expecting more.

The SPS showed good
accuracy with the 16.0 grains of Vit N133 producing 3801fps and
642ft/lbs and 0.85 inch three shots at 100 yard with the 20 gr V-Max.

I switched to 16.5 grains
of IMR 4198 powder and now I had 4003 fps and 712 ft/lbs but accuracy
was hovering at 1.0 inch.

Now 16.0 grains of RL 7
powder was a consistent load with 0.65-0.75 inch groups at 100 yards
with 3920 fps and 683 ft/lbs whilst 15.0gr of H4227 with the 20gr
V-Max gave a healthy 3953 fps for 694 ft/lbs and good 0.65 inch
groups. I could eke 4044 fps with 16.0gr H4227 but accuracy went to
1.25 inch, interesting.

25 grain Berger`s shot
very well with 15.5 gr RL 10X powder, not a top load but nice 0.5
inch groups. Whilst Hornadies 25 grain V-Max bullet sped along at
3896 fps for 843 ft/lbs with payload of 16.0gr of IMR 4198.

30 grain Berger bullets
are really a bit large in this case size and velocities reflected
this and also I have noticed that Berger’s are a bit tougher than
the V-Maxes so penetrate better but do not expand as violently so
choice for vermin or fox species will dictate your proper use here.

Predator:
- As stated for a short barrel the Predator really shot well it uses
a Remington Model Seven action and this design is a blend between the
older model M600 and the newer M700 actions that also forms the basis
of the solid receiver XR100 action.

With only a 22 inch barrel
the factory ammunition was shooting, 4105, 4163, 4150 and 4109 fps
for an average of 4147fps and 764ft/lbs energy. Firstly that’s
superb velocity from that short barrel in fact better than a 26 inch
barrel from the above SPS. Accuracy too was just great, all shots
consistently falling between 0.5 -0.75 inches with often three shots
less than 0.5 inches. Interestingly enough after five boxes of
factory ammunition and cleaning the barrel every second box the
velocities actually dropped and stayed lower indicating to me the
barrel was running its self in, another important lesson to learn.
Figures for the factory ammunition now ran at 3987, 3951, 3981 and
3974fps for an average of 3973 fps and 701 ft/lbs energy, still very
impressive.

A very accurate load with shots almost touching at 100 yards was using16.0gr of Vit N133 producing 3879fps and 668ft/lbs and 20gr V-Max bullets.With the 25 grains V-Max bullet a load of
15.0 grains IMR 4198 produces 3724 fps and 770ft/lbs or try 16.5gr of
Reloder 10X powder with the Berger for 3877 fps and 835 ft/lbs, again
with nice 0.75 inch groups at 100 yards.

But I wanted that elusive
4000fps velocity which I finally achieved with a load of 17.0 grains
Vit N120 powder and the 20 grain V-Max to achieve 4107 fps and
749ft/lbs energy with sub 0.5 inch accuracy but it was a hot load so
work up to this. I ran this data through the excellent Quickload and
QuickTARGET ballistics program. That translates into a trajectory
when zeroed at 100 yards of only a drop of -0.9 inches at 200 yards
with 378ft/lbs energy remaining and at 300 yards there is drop of
-6.0 inches and remaining energy is 262ft/lbs energy so to me that’s
its absolute maximum range ideally.

Conclusion

I
love the calibre, even when it was called the Mach IV, doh! And I
love the fast handling instinctive pointing and lightweight nature of
the Predator and also the good accuracy, but the magazine feed needs
to be looked at to be utterly reliable. In a rifle like the Predator
the all over camouflage coating means there is no fussing with
blooded or dirty hands rusting your nice blued barrel. It’s a
rifle/calibre combination that will appeal to full time pest
controllers and keepers alike. However the .17 Fireball on paper
looks just as good as .17 Rem and better than the new .17 Hornet it
would seem here in Britain we have not taken it to our hearts as
sales have been very slow and I see that Remington supply ammo but
not a rifle in that calibre any more, shame.

So really the .17 Fireball
would still make a superb vermin calibre for a small light weight
custom rifle say built on a small action Tikka or lovely old Sako
Vixen or even a full custom Nesika, Stiller or BAT action.